Electrically-propelled carrier.



PATENTED JUNE '13, 1905.

w. J. SUMNER.

ELEGTRIGALLY PROPELLBD CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

W. J. SUMNER. ELEGTRIGALLY PROPELLED CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.14, 1904.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

I I Iwenfir. W

PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905.

W. J. SUMNER. ELECTRICALLY PROPBLLED CARRIER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 14., 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented June 13, 1905. i

PATENT FFICE.

IVILLIAM J. SUMNER, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE COBURN TROLLEY TRACK MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF WVILLI- MANSETT, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION.

ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,178, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed November 14, 1904;. Serial No. 232,677.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. SUMNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Ham pden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrically Propelled Carriers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electrically-pro- IO polled carriers; and it has especial reference to a carrier or car of this type suspended from an overhead-trolley track, the object of the invention being to provide an electrically-propelled carrier or car in which the motor is car- 5 ried on the car and the propelling devices are located on the track above, suitable driving connections being provided between the motor and said propelling devices, there being provided suitable mechanism whereby the motor may be disconnected from the propelling mechanism at will without stopping the motor.

Further objects of the invention relate to certain details of construction and certain combinations of parts, which will be fully de 5 scribed in the followingspecification, together with the construction in which the above specilied objects of the invention are embodied, all being clearly summarized in the claims appended thereto.

3 In the drawings forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a construction in which this invention has been embodied in its preferred form and comprises a car with a motor thereon, a portion of a track 05 from which the car is suspended, and of the traction mechanism and its relation to the track. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the track and traction mechanism on a somewhat-enlarged scale, certain parts, including the track- 4 support, being shown in section. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of mechanism associated with the motor, through which movementis transmitted to the traction device and with which is associated the disconnecting mechanism.

Fig. 4: is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 3.

It is sought by means of this invention to provide an electrically-propelled car which may be used particularly in mills and factories where the nature of the product or the 5 0 capacity of the mill render it inexpedient to establish a traveling crane and where it is desired to establish a power-propelled carrier for conveniently and cheaply shifting material from one place to another. The form of track 5 5 known as the overhead-trolley t'rack,which is shown in this applicatiomhas long been in use for this purpose; but no successful adaptation of power thereto has yet been contrived within my knowledge, and this invention fills the place between the expensive traveling crane and the ordinary trolley-car suspended t'rom an overhead track which is pushed around by an operative.

Referring to the drawings, a indicates the 5 track, which preferably is of that type known as the tubular overhead-trolley track; but while that type of track is shown herein it is not essential to the practical operation of the invention. This form of track, however, 7 is preferred, and it consists in forming two parallel track portions by curving inward the contiguous edges of two plates supported in parallel relation in such manner as to provide a slot of suitable width between them, through which extend portions of a trolley-head, hereinafter described. In the drawings this track is shown as being supported in hangers b, which in turn are secured to suitable timbers c, bolted to a ceiling or other proper support. Two trolley-heads are provided, which run on this track, as shown in Fig. 1, with one of which the traction and transmission devices are associated, these trolley-heads being indicated, respectively, by (Z and (Z, (Z being that 5 one of them in which the traction mechanism is incorporated and a particular description of which will be given farther on. Extending from one of these trolley-heads to the other is a bar a, which maintains the proper 9 degree of separation between them and which constitutes a support from which the car or motor platform is suspended by means of the frames f, to the lower end of which is secured ant a platform on which is mounted an electric motor 71, whereby through suitable mechanism (which will be described in its proper place) movement may be transmitted,by means of the sprocket-chainsy', to the traction mechanism of the trolley-head (Z. The bar 0 also carries a suitable frame Z thereon, in which are supported two trolley-arms m,suitably weighted to bring the trolley-wheels 0 into an underrunning contact with two electric conductors and (see Fig. 2,) one of which is a feedwire and the other of which is a return-wire, and from the feed and return wires suitable insulated electrical connections run, by way of the framesf, through a controller '2- to the motor. These last-named electrical connections are not shown, as their arrangement, together with the construction of the motor, is well known, and the only novel feature connected with the motor is that part thereof to which the chains j run, together with certain mechanism associated with the shaft of the motor, whereby the latter may be disconnected from the shaft on which the sprocket-wheels are,

located, over which the chain 1' is run, without stopping the motor, if desired.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, it is seen that the track r! is so supported in the hangers 7/ as to permit the location thereon (and substantiall y over the slot between the two track portions) of a rack '0, which is bolted securely in place to the hangers. The trolley-head (Z comprises two vertical arms 00, on which are mounted wheels 11', as shown in Fig. 2 more particularly, these wheels being provided with suitable axles which have a bearing in the upper ends of the arms 10, the trolley-head as a whole consisting of a suitable frame, in the opposite ends of which these arms w are supported, the wheels .1: running on the track and the arms depending therefrom through the slot between the tracks.

Constituting a part of the trolley-head is a frame 8, which extends upwardly through the track-slot and has mounted at the upper end thereof a gear 4, which is in mesh with the rack 11. This trolley-lnzad also comprises two flat side bars 5, between which a gear 6 is mounted on an axle 7. which gear is in mesh with the gear -i. On the outer ends of the axle 7 are two sprocket-wheels 8, over which the chains 7 run to two other sprocket-wheels 9, supported on a shaft 10, carried in a frame 12 on the platform of the car, reference being had to 3 and 4 for the detailed views of this frame and its associated parts.

Below the bars 5 on the trolley-head is a yoke 13, supported on the lower extremities of the arms on, and from this yoke, by means of a shackle 14.- and another like device 15 on the trolley-head (Z, the platform 1 is suspended from the bar a, running through the shackles, suitable frames f on the bar extending downwardly therefrom, having the platform attached to the lower end thereof, asherein before briefly stated.

The specific construction of the trolleyhead, with its traction devices, forms no part of the present invention, it being the subject of a separate application filed concurrently herewith, and it may thus be regarded as simply typifying a trolley-head provided with suitable traction devices to which movement is imparted by means of a suitable connection with a motor on the platform 9, suspended from said trolley-head.

It will be observed that the trolley-head d is substantially the same in construction as the trolley-head (Z except for such differences as are incidental to the presence of the traction devices on one and their absence from the other. In this last-named trolley-head the supporting-wheels are also capable of oscillation on an axis vertical to the trolley-track, to the end that the wheels of both trolleyheads may adapt themselves to any curve around which they may be passing, and the connections between the platform and the trolley-heads are such as to permit sufficient freedom of oscillation transversely of the track to relieve the trolley-heads from any strain which might be due to centrifugal movement of the cars in rounding a curve.

As hereinbefore stated, the feed-wire and the return-wire r are supported on each side of the track, as shown in Fig. 2, and the two trolley-arms '1, supported on the bar a, are provided with trolley-wheels 0, which have an underrunning contact with these wires, being held in contact therewith by weights 17. (Shown only in Fig. 1.) These trolleyarms at are supported in the two arms 18 of a frame Ki, bolted to the bar (3, said arms beinginsulated one from the other and each arm having a wire connection extending therefrom in any suitable manner to the motor, to the opposite poles of which they are connected. These wires, as stated, include in their circuit the controller 7*. Preferably the trolley-arms m are so supported that they may be swung around from the position they occupy in Fig. 1 to an opposite position on the wires, to the end that they may always be in a trailing position whichever way the car may be moving.

Referring now to Figs. 8 and 4, the frame 12 is bolted to the platform in such position that the shaft 20 in said frame may be connected to the armature-shaft 21 of the electric motor 72/ by means of a universal joint 22.

Near the opposite end of said shaft 20 the latter is provided with two trunnions 23, which en ter suitable boxes 24:, which are located in two slots 25, oppositely located in the sides of the frame 12, which slots are curved and are concentric to the horizontal axis of the universal joint 22. On said shaft 20 is a worm 26, which meshes with the worm-gear 27 on the shaft in said frame 12. Below the shaft and at right angles thereto is a rock-shaft 28, having thereon two cams 29, located close to the sides of the frame 12, as shown in Fig. 3, and bearing against the under side of the boxes 24, which extend inwardly beyond the inner surface of the sides of the frame. When the cams are in the position shown in Figs. 3 and a, the shaft 20 is held in alinement with the armature-shaft 21 of the motor and the worm 26 in mesh with the worm-gear 27, thereby rotating the shaft 10 and transmitting movement through the chains 9' to the traction devices in the trolley-head (Z. The shaft 28 is provided with an operating-lever 30, whereby the cams 29 may be swung downwardly by raising the lever, thus permitting the shaft 20 to drop far enough to throw the worm 26 out of mesh with the gear 27, which may be done at any time without stopping the motor.

It is desirable that there should be a certain freedom of movement or elasticity in the driving connection between the motor and the traction devices on the trolley-head (Z,whereby any swinging movement of the motorplatform may not cramp said driving connection in any way. are made relatively slack, and on the frame 12 two arms, each indicated by 32, are pivotally mounted at 33 on the upper part of the frame 12, having a spring 3 L extending between the free ends thereof to draw them together, and on the free end of each arm is a wheel 35 to bear against the chain to take up said slack therein. A similar pair of arms is provided for each chain, and by means of this contrivance the driving chains are always maintained under proper tension. It will be noted that the worm-and-gear connection above described constitutes a lock to hold the car against movement when the motor is stationary. The platform 9 is preferably surrounded by a suitable rail 36 for the protection of the operator, who stands on the platform to operate the controller or the disconnecting-lever 30. If desired, the car may be stopped without stopping the motor or disconnecting the latter, as described, by pulling down one of the trolley-arms m out of contact with its wire, this serving in lieu of a switch in thecircuit. The platform 9 is provided with meansas the eye 87, for example-whereby other platforms or cars suspended from trolley-heads on the track a may be shackled thereto, the construction herein described serving as a motor-car.

The construction herein described is one which is relatively inexpensive as compared with the work it is capable of doing, and the form of track on which it is supported is capable of turning curves of relatively short radius, and yet the driving mechanism is very To that end the chains j powerful and particularly adapted to the hauling of heavy loads very economically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters'Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, traction devices on one of said heads to impart movement to the latter in either direction, a platform suspended from said head or heads arranged to swing transversely of the track, a motor on said platform, a driving connection extending from said motor to the traction devices to impart movement to the latter.

2. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, traction devices on one of said heads to impart movement to the latter in either direction, a platform suspended from said head or heads arranged to swing transversely of said track, a motor on said platform, a flexible driving connection extending from said motor to the traction devices to impart movement to the latter.

3. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, traction devices on one of said heads to impart movement to the latter in either direction, a platform non-rigidly suspended from said head or heads, a motor on said platform, a driving connection extending from said motor to the traction devices to impart movement to the latter, and means to disconnect said driving connection from said motor.

4. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, traction devices on one of said heads to impart movement to the latter in either direction, a platform non-rigidly suspended from said head or heads, an electrically-driven motor on said platform, a feed-wire and a return-wire contiguous to the track, and electrical connections between said wires and n10- tor; a driving connection extending from said motor to said traction devices to impart movement to the latter, said electrical connections comprising a suitable switch.

5. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, a platform suspended from said heads to swing freely thereon, a motor on the platform, traction devices associated with one of said trolley-heads, a flexible driving connection between said motor and said traction devices, and tension devices for said flexible connection whereby the platform may swing without effecting a tightening of said connection.

6. The combination with an overhead-trolley track of one or more trolley-heads bearing thereon, a platform suspended from said heads to swing freely thereon, a motor on the plat- IIS form provided with a driving-Shaft, a second shaft to arrest the movement of said driving A; o n a l shaft connected by one end to 82nd di'ivingconnection. Shaft 3) Y :L univerfni 'eint traction devices r .4 r- 1 v r WiLLiMI J. SUMNER. aswcmted with one of said UOiifi) heads, and 5 a driving connection between said traction VIE-11085681 (iQYlCQS and said second shaft together with it. i. Uipmions,

:1 device to swing the free end of said second NM. H. UHAIIN. 

